Opposites Attract
by FyoraHime
Summary: A very much overdue Halloween Contestshipping request! May and Drew attend a Halloween party for coordinators, but they don't want anyone to discover they're dating! 3 parts. Slight Ikarishipping and questionable Appealshipping, too.
1. Chapter 1

"Let's review one more time."

Within the contest hall, the festivities had already begun. Eerie music and sound effects trailed out through the windows, traveling along the chilly nighttime breeze. A soft orange glow emitted from within. Coordinators and Pokémon shuffled in and out of the front doors, decked from head to toe in breath-taking costumes. Coordinators were known for their artistry, after all, and Halloween was the perfect occasion for them to exercise their skills.

However, one young couple stood off to the side of the building, whispering fervently as they hid within the shadow of a large oak tree.

"We only have three rules." May raised her hand as if she meant to hold up three fingers, but she then remembered that her large costume paws hid her hands from her boyfriend's sight. "Rule number 1!" she began, trying to hide her embarrassment as Drew chuckled at her mistake.

"Enter separately," the boy recited obediently, as if he had memorized answers for a test. Small fangs poked out from behind his lips as he spoke. "Rule number 2…" He trailed off, leaving an opening for May to answer this time.

"We can spend time together as long as we're in a group, but we can't wander off by ourselves." Any time alone would probably come off as suggestive to any paparazzi lurking about the event, and May had no doubt in her mind that they would be slinking around every corner. After all, this was the most popular party of the year, second in attendance only to the Grand Festival itself! The thought of someone snapping a picture of her and Drew alone together sent a shiver up her spine. "Finally, the most important rule."

In unison, both coordinators whispered, "Avoid Harley at all costs."

After sounding so solemn, they broke out into quiet laughter. "I can't believe we synchronized that," May said, lifting her paws to her mouth to try and stifle her giggles.

"Well, we are coordinators. We should be good at syncing with our Pokémon… or anyone we're close to." Drew tried to pull off a smug smile, acting as if he were simply trying to tease May, but even in the dim light the brunette could tell that her boyfriend was blushing.

"I'll go in first," May announced, trying to get the flustered pair back on track. "Wait a moment or two before entering, so that nobody gets suspicious." The werewolf took a deep breath and strode off towards the entrance. Suddenly she stopped and turned to look back at him. With a wink, she murmured, "Besides, vampires can't enter unless they're invited inside, right?"


	2. Chapter 2

Every aspect of the party was equally breathtaking, and May honestly wasn't sure of which element captured her attention– and her heart– first. A fog machine waited just behind the front door, marking her entrance with a dramatic flair. Jack-o-lanterns glistened on almost every table, expressing a multitude of emotions from cheeky grins to spine-tingling scowls. (She took relief upon noticing that they used electric lights instead of actual candles.) White balloons dressed as ghosts bobbed up and down along the walls. The snack table boasted a smorgasbord of frightful finger foods as well as eerie entrees. Even the drinks were themed around ghost Pokémon: Bottles of Shuppet champagne awaited the adults, while Gengar grape juice was offered for the minors.

Beyond the decorations was the matter of the guests. Some costumes were silly, and some were scary, but every single outfit was dazzling, not sparing a single detail in efforts to impress. While there was no formal competition among these coordinators today, the many guests had clearly taken it upon themselves to engage in personal battles with their peers, trying to be the best and most impressive.

For once, May wasn't in the mood to compete. She simply wanted to meet up with her friends and celebrate the atmosphere of the spooky season. Halloween was probably her favorite holiday, so she wanted to enjoy it! As she scanned the wide hall for familiar faces, she suddenly found herself momentarily blinded by a brilliant, glimmering white light. Dazed, she stepped back and blinked a few times. When she looked up, she found a blue-haired angel grinning back at her. "Dawn!" she cried in excitement. "You look amazing!"

The Twinleaf native smiled wider and spun around, causing her white skirt to billow out around her. Sequins lined the hem of the skirt, while sparkles mingled with the white feathers on her wings to create an overall mystical effect. "Thank you!" she chirped proudly. "The sequins were a pain, but I had so much fun designing this outfit! You look great, too!" she added, taking in May's werewolf getup. "I LOVE those fuzzy ears! Too cute!"

May spun around as well, allowing Dawn to see the faux fur lining her boots as well as the tail on the back of her shorts. "Thanks!" Suddenly she felt a little self-conscious as Dawn's eyes narrowed as she examined her top. "What's wrong? I haven't eaten yet, so I couldn't have spilled anything!"

Dawn quickly shook her head. "You're clean!" she assured the brunette. "I just couldn't help but think that the crop top is an interesting choice. Totally adorable, by the way," she added swiftly, not wanting to offend her friend. "The fur along the neckline is cute, and the frayed bottom adds to the wild effect. It's just…" She wiggled her eyebrows and stepped in closer. "I didn't expect you to show so much skin. Trying to impress someone?"

May's cheeks flushed, and she immediately raised her paws to her face in an attempt to hide it. "This is just as much skin as I showed during the Wallace Cup!" Although she couldn't help but wonder if Drew had even noticed her exposed midriff earlier; he wasn't really one to pick at something like that. "What about you? Where's Paul?" If she recalled correctly, each coordinator was allowed to bring one guest to the banquet.

A heavy sigh escaped Dawn's lips, and May braced herself for a rant. "Ugh, I'd have a better chance of getting Pachirisu to give up Poffins than getting Paul to come to a party." Perhaps asking the question had been a mistake. May couldn't exactly imagine the frigid trainer dressing up and socializing with people he doesn't know. She sighed again. "He promised we would have a movie marathon when I get home, though, and he even agreed to wear devil horns! I'll just leave a little early. I still get to party AND spend time with him!" She beamed, seeming rather pleased by the compromise she devised. "He can make dinner and pass out candy while I'm here! I'm not letting his attitude ruin my good time!"

While May could tell that her friend was a little more disappointed than she was willing to let on, she didn't press the matter any further. She was in a somewhat similar situation, after all, being unable to spend time with her boyfriend until she left the party. "An angel and a devil, huh? That fits you two perfectly!" Dawn truly was one of the most creative people she knew. "I guess opposites do attract!"

"Should an angel really be surrounding herself with so many devils?"

Both girls turned their heads at the sound of the newcomer's voice. A thin figure clad in a classy red suit walked up to them, smiling warmly. Red horns rested atop short, fiery red hair, which seemed to flicker like flames as it reflected the dim orange light of the jack-o-lanterns.

"Zoey!" Dawn exclaimed, eagerly running up to the other girl. "What, are you jealous?" she joked. "Don't worry, you're a far more elegant devil than Paul. Just don't tell him I said that," she added with a wink.

"Somehow, I don't think that would bother him too much," Zoey replied with a chuckle. "I must admit, I was skeptical about this devil idea at first, but I really like how it turned out. Thanks for lending me these shoes, by the way." She then turned her attention to the coordinator from Hoenn. "Hey May, how've you been? I haven't seen you in months!"

"Oh, I'm great! I love Halloween!" May's gaze flickered back and forth between the two girls before her. "So, I'm guessing Dawn influenced your costume choice?"

Zoey glanced over at Dawn and smirked slightly. "That's a nice, neutral way of putting it," she began. "I asked for suggestions, and Dawn told me that devil horns would really complement my red hair. After that, my costume was pretty much decided. I didn't know she was going to be an angel, though."

Dawn shrugged and batted her eyelashes innocently. "Nothing is wrong with matching your friends!" she declared indignantly. "Group costumes are super popular and always a hit!"

"I would've matched with you, too!" A brown-haired young man hurried over to the group now, moving a brisk pace. Even though he was trying to sound lighthearted, May thought she could detect a trace of hurt in his voice. "You gave suggestions to others but didn't offer any costume help to your oldest pal? Aww, come on, Dee Dee."

Dawn's eyes flew wide open and she stepped to the side, turning away from the boy. "You never asked, Kenny," she stated simply. "Besides, this knight costume fits you well!" she added more kindly, shaking off any disgruntled feelings that the pet name may have aroused.

A rosy hue blossomed on Kenny's cheeks, and he bowed in an attempt to hide it. "Thank you, m'lady," he murmured. "Somebody has to protect the fair angel from all of these naughty devils and beasts!" He straightened up and thrust his arm out to block her, eyeing Zoey and May warily. "I guess these two are okay, though," he conceded with a goofy grin.

"If anything, Dawn is the bad influence around here," Zoey joked.

May laughed and nodded in agreement. "Zoey is probably the mellowest devil out there," she agreed. "Dawn is the crafty one!" Upon seeing Dawn push away Kenny's arm to go up and elbow Zoey in the ribs, May hastily cried, "I kid! I kid!" Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another familiar figure, and her face suddenly became pale. "The real devil is about to arrive, though," she muttered under her breath. Kenny must have heard her, because he gave her a puzzled look. May didn't elaborate but simply braced herself and began to count down. "Five… four… three…"

"Maaaay!" Waving wildly, a tall man adorned in a gray Banette gown scampered over to the group, his purple curls billowing behind him.

"Two… one..." May sighed.

"Hello, May! My, aren't you popular?" Harley stopped right next to her, leaning in and throwing his arm around her shoulder as if they were old pals. "I don't think I've met all of your friends here." He tipped back the brim of his grey costume hat to get a better view of the group. May turned her head to smile at him as politely as she could, but she nearly let out a shriek instead. His wide, exaggerated grin was creepy enough on its own, but it glimmered a ghastly gold due to Harley's makeup, meant to represent the zipper mouth of Banette.

She felt a physical and mental weight lift off her shoulders as Harley let go of his grip and stepped forward to chat among the group. After allowing a moment for introductions and idle chitchat about how they all had met, May stepped forward to whisper, "Have you seen Solidad?" The talented, experienced young woman was the last of May's friends she had yet to encounter tonight.

"Oh, she's over… there, somewhere! Dressed as a witch." Harley gestured vaguely towards a cluster of coordinators in the corner. Sure enough, May spotted a beautiful sorceress with pink hair standing a head above a gaggle of giggling girls. Why were they so giddy? A slight glance to the left answered her question. On the other side of Solidad stood a certain young bloodsucker who always managed to attract a crowd wherever he went. The sight of her boyfriend being swarmed by fangirls still unsettled her. She knew deep in her heart that he only had eyes for her, but that didn't prevent her from feeling irritated by their advances.

Dawn suddenly popped up behind her, resting her chin on the brunette's shoulder in order to follow her gaze. "Ooh, that's Solidad?" she asked. "Can I come meet her? You've told me so much about what an amazing coordinator she is!"

May gave her approval, and after a quick goodbye the pair began to cross the room. Not wanting to look directly in Drew's direction, the werewolf allowed her eyes to travel around the room, taking in more of the decorations, and she took a moment to look back at the group she had just left. Zoey seemed startled by their sudden departure, but she concealed her feelings rather well; only her eyes betrayed the flicker of emotion, and she otherwise continued chatting casually with Kenny and Harley. Perhaps they should have taken her along.

* * *

"May! Good to see you!" Solidad beckoned her forward with a wave of her hand, and the crowd of girls finally began to disperse as they noticed the two talented coordinators heading their way. She must have said something afterwards, but May's brain became fuzzy as soon as she caught a glimpse of Drew's face. He seemed just as uncomfortable as she felt, but they had both agreed that they could handle being near each other as long as others were present. If she had to guess, Dawn and Solidad were still in the middle of introductions, so she still had a minute to gather herself.

"… we'll just leave you two here, if that's okay!"

That line snapped May out of her stupor immediately. "W-what?" she stammered. "I uh, I didn't catch that."

Solidad smiled softly as she repeated her previous sentence. "Dawn's going to take me to meet Zoey, so we'll just leave you two here, if that's okay." Introduce one Top Coordinator to another. That made sense. Why decide to go on their own, though? Would it be that much of a hassle to bring May and Drew along?

"Nice costume, by the way, Drew!" Dawn beamed brightly at him.

"A vampire suits you," Solidad agreed with a nod, then added teasingly, "You're certainly pale enough to be one."

Dawn nodded as well as she considered the green-haired boy's outfit. "Actually, it's pretty funny that you're a vampire and May's a werewolf, considering they're… natural…" Her voice began to trail off and her eyes grew wide. She raised an eyebrow at May, whose face began to burn with embarrassment. "… rivals," Dawn finished, trying to act nonchalantly. Judging from the brief glance she exchanged with Solidad, both girls were honing in on the truth. "But that doesn't mean they can't be friends! They say opposites attract, after all." Hearing her own words escape Dawn's mouth with such a sly, knowing tone sent dread and anxiety coursing through May's veins. "Catch you guys later!" Without giving them a chance to protest, or even ask to follow along, the Twinleaf coordinator linked arms with Solidad and began to skip off.

"See you!" May called after her, then added with a smirk, "You really are a little devil for leaving Zoey behind, you know!" She could at least get a small victory with that remark, right?

"I take it they know." Drew spoke for the first time since May had seen him at the party.

"Yeah, probably." A mischievous angel and a wise sorceress had cracked their code. That small victory didn't feel too significant now.


	3. Chapter 3

The discomfort in the air was almost tangible. It was so thick and heavy that May could probably grab hold of it if she reached out her hands. Standing here silently would only make matters worse, however, so she decided to speak up. "Nice costume! I like the cape."

May's casual attitude caught her boyfriend off-guard, but he largely remained composed. His many performances on the contest stage proved he was quite skilled at thinking on his feet, and this quick-witted nature of his helped him respond naturally in turn. "Thanks. A werewolf suits you, too. But can you use your hands when wearing those paws?" His delivery was so smooth that anyone passing by and just listening to their exchange wouldn't suspect anything was amiss. However, after such a long time as his rival, friend, and now lover, she knew that Drew communicated with nonverbal cues more than he did with words. His posture suggested exasperation, his folded arms signaled impatience, and his eyes screamed at her, _"I can't believe you're talking to me about my cape."_

After a swift scan of their immediate surroundings and determining that nobody was close enough to overhear him, Drew whispered, "Can we talk elsewhere?" As soon as May gave a brisk nod of approval, he stepped back towards the wall and signaled for her to follow. May carefully walked after him, keeping her eyes peeled for photographers and reporters. Currently they all seemed to be clustered around the entrance, taking pictures of the decor and snacks, as well as randomly selecting incoming coordinators to interview. For now, the couple was probably safe as long as they avoided that vicinity.

A sudden tap on the elbow startled her, and May turned her head to see her boyfriend frowning. He led her through a door along the wall and into a side hallway. The bright lighting forced the pair to close their eyes for a moment, their senses overwhelmed by the stark contrast from the dim lighting of the ballroom. "For a moment I thought you had forgotten about me," Drew teased once he had regained his senses. "I thought you were going to just leave me in the dust."

May laughed as she blinked away the rest of her blurry vision. Now she could see that this hallway led to the bathrooms; this was the perfect location for a private conversation. Paparazzi shouldn't be pestering people on their way to powder their noses or use the toilet. "I only leave you in the dust during contests," the brunette replied with a glimmer in her eye. "I'm more considerate at parties."

Drew smirked and murmured mischievously, "That's rather confident talk from a girl who slipped on her own Glaceon's ice in her last contest."

As heat rose in May's face and she began to splutter a retort, he unintentionally cut her off with a snicker that soon evolved into a hearty laugh. In absolute shock, May gazed at him as he continued to chortle. Was her vision still fuzzy, or were tears forming at the corners of his eyes? Finally he regained control of his breathing and calmed down enough to say, "Thank you."

This night was full of surprises. She had never seen the LaRousse native laugh so hard ever since she had met him, and now he was thanking her. He didn't provide any explanation, however. "This isn't going to work," he whispered ruefully. "We can't avoid each other all night."

May nodded in solemn agreement. "Rule 1 went off without a hitch, but we already broke the others." Her blue eyes clouded over thoughtfully as deliberated over a solution to their situation. "Well, we're friends, so it would be suspicious we didn't hang out. How about we toss rule 2 and just try to avoid Harley?"

Drew rubbed his chin as he mused over her suggestion. "That works for me," he concluded. "Honestly, I don't care as much about staying incognito as… as I do about staying apart from you." His words were hardly above a whisper. "I… You…" He was blushing so fiercely that May could see red poking out from beneath his thin layer of porcelain foundation. Despite how suave he acted on stage, when he took off that mask, he was just a vulnerable young man, green in matters of the heart. Nonetheless, he looked determined to finish his thought, to convey his words to the girl who meant so much to him.

Once again, May could detect more from his nonverbal communication than from the broken words and phrases he was trying to string together. She raised a paw to his lips to silence him. "Me too."

Relief flooded over his face and he reached out to grab her concealed hand with his own. "Thank you. Again." His words caused his girlfriend's eyes to light up, illuminated by understanding. He could laugh and let down his walls when he was with her. He didn't have to put on a facade to please her. He could laugh like a fool when he was with her, because she wouldn't judge him. She was the one who helped him genuinely enjoy himself.

"Now that we have a plan, let's head back out!" May coughed softly to snap both of the pair back into reality. Aside from their prolonged absence being undeniably fishy, she wanted to celebrate her favorite holiday at this gorgeous gala! She tried to pull her paw away, but Drew tightened his grip.

"One…" He paused, waiting for a woman dressed as a Misdreavus to pass them and head into the restroom. "One kiss before we go?" His pink cheeks were glowing beneath his foundation again.

"You're so needy," May teased, but she didn't object. "One quick kiss."

The couple swiftly leaned towards each other, but Drew was clearly still nervous. "Ow! Not that fast!" May squeaked. Their faces collided awkwardly when he lunged forward; her nose bumped into his cheek and one of his fangs pierced her lip during their sloppy, speedy smooch attempt. "One more try, you thirsty little vampire."

* * *

"There you are!" Dawn reached out to May as she approached the old group, Drew right behind her.

"I thought a Dusknoir came and whisked you away," Solidad added with a small smile. "Zoey conjectured that an unlucky Purugly crossed your path."

The Petalburg coordinator laughed shyly and shook her head. "No, I've escaped all the bad omens and come back in one piece," she assured them, feeling the tension in her neck dissipate when she saw that Harley was off at the snack table, chatting with a man holding a harp.

"One piece?" Dawn echoed in disbelief. "Hardly! Your lip is bleeding!"

The color drained from May's face as she recalled the messy kiss incident. Swiftly she stammered, "I got t-too excited at the snack table. Have you t-tried those Drifloon-shaped cake pops? They were so good that I chomped down hard and bit my lip, but I didn't think I made it bleed…" That was a fairly reasonable lie; she could actually envision herself doing such a thing.

"Take it easy, ravenous werewolf," Drew sneered from beside her. His eyes glittered with mischief, as well as a hint of relief at her quick thinking.

Kenny stepped closer to Drew, narrowing his eyes as he inspected his face. "Are they chocolate? You've got something black on your cheek…" He tilted his head to peek at May, too. "You have a smudge on your nose, too."

Dawn hopped up to them now, scrutinizing both Hoenn coordinators carefully. "I thought that was makeup for your werewolf nose." As soon as the words left her mouth, the girl's blue eyes widened as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. The angel wasn't alone in her epiphany; Solidad wore the exact same expression on her face. Dawn turned her intense, questioning gaze onto May's embarrassed one, and the turmoil in her friend's eyes as well as the horror in Drew's confirmed her suspicions. "A vampire and a werewolf," she mumbled thoughtfully, then mouthed smugly to May, "Opposites attract."

Busted.


End file.
